VIKTOR HOVLAND – Golf Information

With eight wins and over $30m in prize cash banked simply 4 years into his skilled profession, Norway’s VIKTOR HOVLAND is certainly one of the greatest stars of the boys’s sport. Right here, the present world no.4 and newly topped FedEx Cup champion assesses his sport, discusses his close to misses within the majors, and his hopes of serving to Europe to win again the Ryder Cup in Rome

How do you even start to replicate on what you could have achieved to this point this 12 months? Three wins, the FedEx Cup title, a complete lot of prize cash, and we’re solely on the finish of August.
Yeah, it’s been an amazing 12 months. I really feel like I’ve taken quite a lot of ahead steps this season – contending in additional majors, getting my first win within the US at a giant occasion like The Memorial, after which clearly the final couple weeks have simply outdated that. It’s been fairly surreal. Clearly, you dream about such issues, however you don’t actually count on them to occur, so to have achieved what I’ve is fairly superior.

What’s made the distinction this 12 months over earlier seasons?
The principle distinction this season has been that I really feel like I’ve had quite a lot of good weeks the place I actually haven’t felt like I’ve performed superb golf, however I’ve nonetheless been in a position to put a rating collectively. To have the ability to put myself ready to win tournaments after I’ve not at all times had my ‘A’ sport has been one thing that I’m happy with.  My brief sport has bought loads higher, which has actually allowed me to have the ability to do this. When my putter will get sizzling, that may actually make up for some dangerous pictures off the tee or some poor iron pictures.
Making all these cuts [33 in a row] additionally reveals that my consistency degree has been very excessive. I’ve hit the ball effectively tee to inexperienced, and now with my enchancment across the greens, even on my dangerous ball-striking days I can sort of scrap it collectively, perhaps shoot round even par after which have a very good day the subsequent day. I really feel like I’m by no means out of the event due to me cleansing up a pair issues that haven’t been so good up to now.

Your putter appeared fairly sizzling throughout that remaining spherical 61 that took you to victory on the BMW Championship. The place does that spherical rank in your pantheon of rounds throughout your profession, and what did it imply to tug off the win towards such a robust subject?
It needs to be primary. I keep in mind enjoying a fairly particular spherical throughout my first 12 months on Tour, I shot seven beneath at Torrey Pines when it was hailing and windy and that’s most likely the most effective I’ve ever struck it all through a spherical. However to shoot 61, and shoot 28 on the again 9, at a course just like the Olympia Fields, and beneath these circumstances, I’ve nothing that beats that.
Getting back from that far behind towards such a robust group of gamers in entrance of me was fairly particular. I had no choice however to only go for it, so in that sense I had nothing to lose.

In the event you wind again to the tip of your school profession in 2018, did you ever think about you’ll have achieved that you’ve in simply 4 years?
Yeah, I might solely dream about profitable these tournaments again in 2018, after I was coming in direction of the tip of my beginner profession. I feel I’d received one school occasion earlier than profitable the US Novice, and that sort of modified quite a lot of issues. I bought to play in a pair majors as an beginner, then I bought my PGA TOUR card, after which a pair months later I received my first PGA Tour occasion, after which I received my first DP World Tour occasion, and I’ve simply sort of ticked off the packing containers from there. But it surely’s not like I’m anticipating to win X variety of tournaments or X variety of majors. It’s simply, okay, that is pretty much as good as I’m proper now, what can I do to get higher? And if I get higher, I’ve the possibility of profitable these occasions.

Was there a motion once you felt such as you had discovered the assumption to carry out like you could have in these large occasions or is it simply the fruits of quite a lot of issues that you’ve been engaged on? 
I can’t level to a single or a particular second, nevertheless it’s simply after I began to see my brief sport enhance that gave me the assumption that I’ve all of the pictures. I simply noticed the pictures that I used to be in a position to pull off in tournaments and in these demanding conditions. I coupled that with the course administration stuff and simply my basic perspective – dealing with dangerous bounces, dealing with bogeys, dealing with dangerous pictures. Simply these three elements mixed, after I began to see that I wasn’t careworn after I confirmed as much as a golf event or a golf course. It was like, okay, no matter occurs occurs. I’d play badly and that’s okay. As quickly as I made that mindset change every part began to sort of come collectively.

How would you assess the influence that your work together with your new swing coach, Joe Mayo, has had when it comes to your enchancment?
Yeah, Joe has been superior. He’s a really technical man, and he likes math and physics and simply offers in information. We wish to measure issues. I feel we each assume alike in quite a lot of methods. I feel it’s been nice to have somebody that sort of conveys info like that, but additionally I’d say he’s helped me loads mentally, too, simply understanding event golf, event stress.
He’s been out right here for some time and he’s a really sensible man. Not simply with the golf swing, however he sees the larger image in different issues, as effectively. It’s been nice to have an individual that has that perspective on issues.

You’ve received over $20m within the final two occasions. Do you ever enable your self to consider the cash once you’re enjoying?
Clearly, we’re enjoying for lots of money, so I’d be mendacity if I stated that it’s not behind your thoughts. But it surely’s not the entrance, both. I reside in Oklahoma. Cash goes a good distance there. I don’t want loads to be pleased. I don’t want loads to reside inside my means. However clearly it’s good for my household to have that safety, and no matter household I’ll have sooner or later. It’s good to have that, nevertheless it’s not one thing that drives me, it’s not one thing that provides what I do that means. I discover that means in different places. However clearly with how society works, cash is one thing you want and I’m grateful that I’ve bought some.

You’ve put your self in competition to win just a few majors of late – going out within the final group on the Open at St Andrews final 12 months, second to final group on the Masters this 12 months after which the final group on the US PGA Championship in Might. How do look again on these close to misses?
Dropping sucks at any time, no query, however it’s actually good to see that issues are getting into the best path. It doesn’t actually pay to dwell on this stuff. Sure, you study from them and check out to not repeat no matter errors you might have made, nevertheless it’s not aways that straightforward.
Within the Open, it was simply a type of days. I feel I shot 2-over-par on Sunday, however I felt like I hit quite a lot of good pictures. I simply didn’t fairly get shut sufficient to the pins, particularly with how St Andrews was arrange. I really feel like if I had been in that place a pair years in the past, I’d have began firing at pins and ended up in all types of bother, so I really feel like I dealt with it okay, however I simply didn’t get any momentum happening early and didn’t birdie any of the better holes.
And on the PGA. Effectively, the bunker scenario on 16, the place it plugged and I ended up with a double bogey, sort of stalled issues on the improper time, as I had no time to get well. I felt like I performed strong golf in the primary, however I had a few dangerous swings and bought out of place on just a few holes, so needed to depend on my brief sport to avoid wasting me just a few occasions, however Brooks [Koepka] was exhausting to catch. It’s not straightforward going toe-to-toe with a man who already had 4 majors to his title.
So I really feel like I belong out right here. I simply must get a bit of bit higher, and hopefully it goes my method subsequent time.

How necessary was it so that you can get again on to the Ryder Cup crew after the end in 2021?
Yeah, clearly the Ryder Cup is the large aim for lots of gamers, and having made the crew final time, I knew that I by no means needed to overlook one other one if I might presumably assist it. In fact, making the crew is solely a by-product of enjoying good golf over the qualifying interval, or actually enjoying effectively in some large occasions, and fortunately I’ve been ready to do this.
It was disappointing how issues turned out at Whistling Straits, and I wasn’t pleased to come back away with two half-points from my 5 matches, so I’m eager to place that proper in Rome.

Final 12 months you stated that the topography of Marco Simone will make it powerful for gamers to play in all 5 matches with out getting drained. Is that also a priority for you?
Hopefully not for me personally, as I’m fairly match and younger, however I’m not an enormous fan of the course. It’s up and down a big mountain, so it is going to be tough to stroll for 5 or 6 days. Truthfully, I feel individuals will wrestle to play 36 holes in a day, and particularly the caddies. It’s the identical for each groups, nevertheless it’s going to be powerful for gamers to play in all 5 matches.

You appear to be a really calm, level-headed sort of man. Do you are feeling such as you’ve bought an interior killer intuition or is that not who you’re?
I don’t assume it’s one thing that’s innate in me. I’m not somebody who reveals an enormous quantity of emotion on the golf course. Protecting calm helps me carry out at the next degree. I’m not the sort of man who goes loopy after I gap a putt or win a event. I’d give it a bit of fist pump or no matter, however the much less emotion I can sort of giveaway I feel it’s the higher for me.

WHAT CLUBS DOES VIKTOR HOVLAND PLAY WITH

Driver: Ping G425 LST (8.4°)
Fairway Woods: TaylorMade Stealth Plus 3 (15°)
Utility: Titleist U505 (21°)
Irons: Ping i210 (4-PW)
Wedges: Ping Glide 4.0 (50°, 56°), Ping Glide 2.0 (60°)
Putter: Ping PLD DS 72
Ball: Titleist Professional V1